Treating textiles and oils therefor



Patented June 27, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE TREATING TEXTILESAND OI LS THEREFOR Walter Garner, Menston-in-Wharfedale, England NoDrawing. Application October 10, 1936, Se-

rial No. 105,147. In Great Britain January 21,

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in treating textile materialsespecially those consisting of substitute for olive oil which isreasonably cheap and satisfies the requirements of a textile lubricant,especially the somewhat exacting requirements of the worsted industry,in which a highclass material is subjected to a combing operation.

According to the invention such textile materials either in the looseform, or as sliver, yarn or fabric, or in intermediate stages ofprocessing or in other form, are treated with a condensed ester ormixture of condensed esters as hereinafter defined, and after subjectingthe treated materials to one or more textile operations (e. g., carding,combing, spinning, weaving or knitting), they are then scoured.

The condensed esters referred to are fully esterified synthetic esterssubstantially insoluble in water; such esters are oily bodies and aretherefore to be distinguished from esters which are capable ofdissolving or dispersing in water alone and which have wetting andfoaming powers enabling them to be used as substitutes for soaps andTurkey red oils.

The condensed esters may be formed by combining analcohol with anunsaturated acid which has been polymerised or by forming an ester of analcohol and an unsaturated acid and polymerising such ester, or by usinga condensed alcohol, e. g., dior tri-glycol. The invention thereforecontemplates three types of esters, the third type combining thecharacteristics of the first two:

1. A polymerised ester or an ester of a polymerised acid; in each casesuch esters may be described as containing a polymerised acid radical.

2. An ester of a dior tri g1ycol.

3. A dior tri-glycol ester of a polymerised acid.

It is essential, moreover, that the esters employed, althoughsubstantially insoluble in water, should be readily emulsiflableespecially when from 1 to 15% of a fatty acid such as oleic is added, sothat they can be removed by scouring and that they should not oxidiseeasily when tested by standard available tests. They should comparefavourably with olive oil in these respects.

Preferably both the alcohol and acid are of high molecular weight.

The most suitable alcohols for esters of type 1 have preferably but notnecessarily six or more carbon atoms. Examples are ethyl alcohol, hexylalcohol, lauryl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, cholesterol, methylcyclohexanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or the simplesubstitution products of such alcohols.

I The most suitable alcohols for esters of type 2 are diethylene andtriethylene glycol.

The most suitable acids for esters of types 1 and 3 are derived bypolymerisation from unsaturated fatty acids belonging to the CnH2n-202(oleic) series; the CnHZn-203 (ricinoleic) series; the CnH2n-402(linoleic) series; or mixtures of these acids. The acids themselves maybe polymerised ormay be obtained by hydrolysis of polymerised esters.Simple substitution products of such acids may be used.

Alternatively, unpolymerised esters of unsaturated acids may beprepared, and then the esters themselves may be polymerised for use astextile oils.

The most suitable acids for esters of type 2 are the higher saturatedfatty acids, e. g., stearic acid, and their hydroxy derivatives, e. g.,dihydroxy stearic acid. Unsaturated fatty acids, preferably containingnot more than one double bond, e. g., oleic acid, are also suitable. Wemay also use unsaturated acids of the types mentioned above which havebeen oxidised or hydrogenated; simple substitution products of suchacids may also be employed.

The above esters are synthetic but the invention also includes the useof polymerised sperm oil which is a mixture of esters falling under theabove definitions. It is not a glyceride and the alcohols thus containless than three hydroxyl groups.

The compositions employed for treating the textile materials may consistof the pure or commercial esters as defined above or mixtures thereofwith a diluent such as mineral oil or with a substance which assistsemulsification, e. g., oleic acid or triethanolamine oleate, or aqueousemulsions may be used. Substances of a higher or lower viscosity may beadded respectively to increase or reduce the viscosity. Thus petroleumjelly or polymerised rape oil may be added to increase the viscosity ora thin mineral oil or thin ester may be added to reduce the viscosity.

Ithasalreadybeenstatedthattheestermust be readily emmsiiiable. It mustemulsiiy fairly easily with soap solution with or without alkali. Thediluent need not necessarily comply with this condition provided themixture does so. The behaviour when present upon wool fibre isascertained for example by the following scouring test:-A wool hank issteeped in a 355% solution of the oil in a volatile organic solvent,squeezed, and allowed to stand 12 hours to ensure a complete and evenimpregnation. The hank is then scoured in a solution or 0.2% soap and0.1% ammonia at 45 C. for one quarter of an hour in an apparatus whichcirculates the liquor; it is then washed in water, dried, and thepercentage residual oil is ascertained. This test corresponds to a trademethod of scouring wool hanks.

The preferred compositions have a viscosity between 250 and 500 secondsRedwood at room temperature and a flash point above 330 F. Thesequalities enable them to satisfy current requirements in the tradealthough they are not essential for practical success.

By way oi! example polymerisedmethyl' cyclohexanol oleate prepared fromcommercial methyl cyclohexanol by esteritlcation with oleic acid andsubsequent polymerisatfim having an iodine value 01' 40 may be used as asubstitute for olive oil (iodine value 88) This product is so littlesensitive to oxidation that after 2 hours in the Mackay testingapparatus the temperature was only 213 1". (olive oil 490 1".)

Two parts of this polymerised methyl cyclo-- hexanol oleate may beemulsified by theaid of 1 part of soap solution to form a "wool cream"which is suitably diluted before use. Twitchell base, triethanolamine.oleate, or other known agents may also be used as the emulsifier, andstabilizing substances, e. g., casein dissolved in dilute ammonia may beused in forming or stabilizing of the emulsion.

By working according to this invention it is possible to produce oilswhich are even superior to olive oil in one or more of the followingproperties-smaller liability to oxidation, absence of rancidity, absenceof colour and odour, ease oi scouring even after long storage.

I claim as my invention:

1. Process "of treating textile materials containing animal hairs whichconsists in oiling the material with an oil having a viscosity between250 and 500 seconds Redwood, and containing a fully esteriiiedtil-glycol ester, subjecting the oiled'material to at least onemechanical textile operation, and scouring the material.

2. Process oi treating textile materials which consists in oiling thematerials with diglycoldioleate, submitting the oiled material to atleast one mechanical textile operation and finally scouring thematerial.

3. Process of treating textile materials containing animal hairs, whichcomprises the step of oiling the material with a diglycol ester havingits alcohol radical portion and its acid radical portion fullyesterifled by one another and therewith being non-hygroscopic andsubstan-- tially insoluble in water. i

4. Process of treating textile materials containing animal hairs, whichcomprises the step of oiling the material with a synthetic ester havingan alcohol radical portion and an acid radical portion, said alcoholradical portion being comprised of an-alcohol containing more than oneand less than four glycol radicals, said alcohol radical portion andsaid acid radical portion being iully esterifled by one another, saidester being of an oily character not readily dispersed in water andeasily emulsified by alkali solution, and having a high resistance tooxidation.

5. Process of treating textile materials containing animal hairs, whichcomprises the step of oiling the material with a condensed syntheticester" having an alcohol radical portion and an acid radical portion,said alcohol radical portion being comprised of an alcohol containingmore than one and less than four glycol radicals, said acid radicalportion being comprised of a polymerized unsaturated fatty acid,

said alcohol radical portion and said acid radical portion being fullyesterifled by one another, said ester being of an oily characternot'readily dispersed in water and easily emulsified by alkali solution,and having a high resistance to oxidation.

WALTER GARNER.

